Come to Harm
by TheNoodleIncident
Summary: "If you can hear me, little one, I promise, as God is my witness, I will never let you come to harm again." Rated for sporadic violence. Eventual Abel/OC.
1. Brutality and Rescue

Haaaaallo! BlackKnight93 here, back from a loooong hiatus from fanfiction writing. I've had this idea for a Trinity Blood fic rolling around in my head for years and I finally feel like I have enough material to complete it, so, here it is!

I'm not going to lie, this first chapter is exceptionally brutal and in the basis for the rating thus far; but don't worry, it doesn't stay this violent. Eventual Abel/OC. But first, the violence. Reviews are like cookies; I can never have too many and there is never a bad one. Enjoy!

 _Come to Harm_

 _Chapter 1: Brutality and Rescue  
_

* * *

Jeers, taunts, brutality. Experimentation. Rape. Alessandra had grown used to them all, so when one of her captors lobbed a large stone at her head, she didn't even bother to duck. The stone hit her square in the nose with a sickening crack. Blood ran down her chin, dripping on to her chest. Normally, a person would cry out in pain, or scream, or attempt to cradle their injury in their hands. Not Alessandra. She was Methuselah, just like them, born or no.

The blow had undoubtedly broken her nose. They did this for sport; stones, books, metal, whatever they could find, they flung at her, seeing how many bones they could break before she gave in to the pain and passed out. Her pain was a game to them. She could already feel the wound healing itself because of her cursed regenerative ability.

"Dolt, you barely hit her! Throw harder!" One jeered to the other.

"She's bleeding, better than you did, ass!" Alessandra stared blankly at the wall. She would not give them the satisfaction. The first vampire groaned loudly.

"This is taking too long. I'm bored already." The one who had thrown the stone walked over and kicked Alessandra in the ribs with what she suspected was a steel-toed boot. She wheezed involuntarily as the air was forced from her lungs. "Let's go, Terran whores are more lively than this wretch."

"Mmmh, dinner _and_ a show. I'm in." The vampires left her to her misery, slamming the door behind them. As soon as Alessandra was sure they were gone, she crawled weakly to her lumpy cot and pulled the scratchy blanket over her head. She sobbed quietly, as she often did, and quietly wished the same wish she did every night. _Send someone, please,_ she begged no one in particular, _either to save me, or to kill me._ She missed her parents, her brother, her sisters…but they were long gone now. This was her life. The brutality and cold indifference were all she had to look forward to.

* * *

"This way, Father Nightroad." The corridor was dark and dank, and with the benefit of infrared vision, Father Tres Iquis, the android priest, led the way. Father Abel Nightroad stumbled blindly along behind him, one hand feeling along the wall, the other clutching an absurdly large handgun. The blueprints the Venetian police had provided were of little use in the darkness. The Vatican had recently been alerted to the presence of a vampire safehouse in this building, and that the vampires in question were tied to numerous murders and kidnappings. That was enough to merit an AX investigation, hence why Abel had to trip along in the darkness, without the guidance of a flashlight, behind his robotic partner.

The hallway seemed to go on forever. As dark and cold as it was, Abel surmised they were just above the canals of Venice, high enough to keep the water out, but below street level. It had been mid-morning when Abel and Tres entered the tunnel that had led them to this corridor, but in the corridor itself, night ruled supreme. _The perfect hiding place for vampires._

"There should be a door around here somewhere, Tres, wouldn't you think?"

"Positive. Three paces forward, on the right." Abel followed Tres, feeling along the wall with his shoulder so he could keep his gun drawn. Right where Tres said, the wall ended abruptly, forming a shallow niche that held the door. It was made of reinforced steel, and it was locked, but this didn't deter Father Tres. He slammed his shoulder into the door, breaking the locks and forcing it open. Somewhere far away, a klaxon blared.

"Damn! It had a sensor! We have to hurry, Tres."

* * *

"Awww, pussycat, it's no fun if you don't play too." The vampire looming over Alessandra fastened his trousers, a cigarette clenched in his pointed teeth. Alessandra lie huddled in the corner, her tattered dress pushed up to her waist. The vampire knelt next to her crumpled body, trailing a sharp claw up her thigh, reveling in the blood that bubbled up as he sliced her skin. "Perhaps later I'll get some friends together and we'll have ourselves a little _party,_ hmmm? See if one of them can _make you scream._ Or maybe, _all of them,_ " he sneered. Cigarette ash fell onto Alessandra's face and she tried not to flinch. It was still warm. Her lack of a reaction angered the vampire. He seized her chin hard enough to break her jaw if she had been human and twisted her head around, forcing her to look at him. "Pay attention when I'm talking to you, you insolent, worthless little whore!" The imminent barrage of curses and insults was ultimately cut short by the loud, startling blare of a klaxon somewhere down the hall. He threw Alessandra to the floor, spewing curses. "Intruders? How did they even make it this far?!" He seized the gun he had lain on the rickety little table in Alessandra's cell when he'd entered and kicked open the door. He stormed out into the hall, and a shout of anger and terror died under a hail of bullets. Alessandra yanked her skirt back down over her thighs. Whatever was in the hallway, it wasn't good. She curled up tightly in a ball in the corner, hoping to make herself small enough to not be noticed in the dim light the one light bulb suspended from the ceiling provided, praying that whatever it was would just _go away_.

Abel cast his eyes around the hall, following them with his gun. He ignored the bloody mess that had once been a vampire on the floor. Tres had made short work of him when he burst out from his hiding place. Up until now, every room on this floor had been empty, but Abel wasn't taking any chances. Abel slowly made his way towards the room the vampire had burst from, expecting an ambush at any moment. He pressed his back to the wall next to the open door and signaled Tres to cover him. He spun, pointing his gun into the room, and did a quick sweep. There were no other vampires. Abel lowered his gun and stepped into the room. Something moved in the shadows, startling him. He raised the gun and slowly moved towards the corner where the movement originated. Crumpled in the corner was a girl, no older than fifteen, with dirty hair caked in blood. Her skin was also dirty and bloody, and she was clad in the tattered and stained remains of what might have once been a very fine, very expensive black velvet dress that seemed to be a few sizes too small for her and patched with burlap. Her eyes were a vivid emerald green. She stared at his gun, trembling, as he lowered it in shock.

"Please, if you're going to shoot me, just do it." He didn't look like the usual vampires that came into her room and waved guns in her face, or stuck them in her mouth or…other parts.

"Shoot you? Why would I shoot you?" Abel was horrified.

"Please. I just want to die." Abel's heart cracked and sank into the pit of his chest.

"I'm not going to kill you." Abel put his gun back in its holster under his arm and slowly approached the injured girl. "I'm here to help you. Are you hurt?" The girl looked at him, a sad and terrible expression on her face.

"Not in any way that isn't healing." He reached out to her and she shied away. Abel could feel his heart breaking.

"Who did this to you?" Someone somewhere was responsible for this, and Abel knew the vampire in the hallway had something to do with it. He hadn't been expecting to find a hostage. His sorrow for the poor child boiled into scalding hatred and anger deep in the pit of his stomach. He fought to keep his demeanor calm and even for her sake.

"Father Nightroad, status report." Tres' monotone voice startled them both. He loomed in the doorway, gun drawn. He slowly leveled it at the girl in the corner, who tightened back into a ball. _Dammit._ He sighed in exasperation.

"I've found a hostage, Tres. She's hurt, pretty badly too." Tres lowered his gun.

"There were no reported hostages in this building. Only vampires." Abel turned from Tres back to the girl. His partner was right, there had been no reported hostages, which meant she had probably been here longer than the Venetian police had had intel on the vampires who occupied the building.

"Please, we're not going to hurt you. How long have you been kept here?" She shrugged and winced.

"A long time. Months, maybe years. I stopped counting." The poor, pitiful thing. She was so frightened.

"Let's get you somewhere safe, hmm?" Abel reached out to help her stand. The girl flinched like he was going to strike her. His anger returned. When all he did was hold out his hand to her, she took it hesitantly.

Her fingers were icy cold, colder than any human hand he had ever held. Cold as a vampire's hand. Abel chose to ignore it and helped her to her feet. She wobbled, barely able to stand. Abel watched blood trickle down her exposed knee. His eyes narrowed, anger growing stronger. When the girl swayed, he caught her and steadied her. He leaned her gently against the wall and took off his coat, wrapping her in it and scooping her up into his arms. She didn't protest, holding his coat to her chest. It was warm, and it smelled faintly of cologne and candy. Had her prayers been answered after so long? Did God really listen to the prayers of a vampire? Was the man holding her…an angel? _Am I dead?_

"C'mon, let's get you out of this hell." Abel gingerly carried the girl out of the room. "Close your eyes, you don't want to see this." Abel walked past Tres, stepping over the corpse of the vampire in the hall. It did not concern him; nothing concerned him, except getting the girl in his arms to safety.

* * *

The Vatican doctor Abel delivered the girl to gave him the surprise of several lifetimes. She was not only as cold as a vampire; she _was_ a vampire. She had been beaten, tortured, and raped, and she reacted with such fear to the instrumentation in the exam room that she had to be forcefully sedated. Not only was the girl before him a vampire; she was Alessandra Caramia di Ambrosio, the sole surviving heir of her family. Her sisters and brother had been massacred five years before on their way to a gala event in Venice. Her parents had been away on business. There were no leads at the time and the case went cold. After a year, she had been legally declared dead. She had only been ten years old at the time of the slaughter.

"But…the di Ambrosio family is a _human_ family…" Abel stammered. "How is that possible?"

"I'm not certain, Father. The vampires that held her must have perfected a way to convert humans. Without knowing her family background, I wouldn't have ever suspected her of being human. The Bacillus is completely integrated into her blood." Abel glanced woefully at the girl lying unconscious in the bed. "Beatings this brutal would have killed a human. They probably converted her so they could continue to torture her." It made Abel sick to think about. The doctor had found evidence of a recent rape when he'd first delivered her to the Vatican, and her ribs had been freshly broken. As they spoke, her body was mending itself, piecing itself back together, so that nothing would remain but the memories of what had been done to her. Faded scars littered her body, leftovers from a time before she could heal her own wounds. It filled Abel with rage.

"But to what end?" He muttered to himself. Abel quietly knelt next to the battered body in the bed and brushed her limp hair from her face. He gently kissed her forehead and pressed his forehead to hers, unconcerned about the blood, dirt, and sweat that covered her. He reached for one of her fragile hands and held it in his own. Under the influence of heavy sedatives, she didn't respond. "If you can hear me, little one, I swear, as God is my witness, I will never let you come to harm again," he whispered. Abel stood and turned back to the doctor, body rigid and face hard as steel. "I am entrusting her to your care, Doctor. If she has been prisoner for as long as we believe she has, she might have overheard at least some of the vampires' schemes."

"Of course, Father Nightroad." Abel turned and left the infirmary, fuming silently. He would keep his word, no matter what. He would protect her, no matter what the cost.


	2. Lunch

_A/N: Okay, so your fluffy bunnies won't have to hide in terror anymore; at least for a little while. And because I didn't do this first chapter: I DO NOT OWN TRINITY BLOOD. Just the whole series of the DVDs and all of the novels available in the States._

* * *

 _As God is my witness, I will never let you come to harm again._ The words swirled around Alessandra's head, a promise of safety, of peace. _I will never let you come to harm again._ She felt like she had been enveloped in a warm white light, like how the sun had felt, so many years ago. _…Come to harm again…come to harm again…harm again…_

Alessandra bolted awake, heaving, fingers tightly curled around her soft woven blanket. She gagged and retched, tumbling from her bed. She barely made it to the toilet in time to vomit, her shoulders heaving. Shaken, she flushed it down and stood. She rinsed her mouth out with water from the sink and gargled to get rid of the taste in the back of her throat. What an awful nightmare…she wiped her mouth clean with a washcloth and stared at her reflection in the washroom mirror. _What a horrible dream_. Outside her window, she knew the sun was shining, though her dense black curtains and specially tempered glass in her windows kept the light out.

Time to go to work; there was undoubtedly still paperwork that needed doing from her last assignment. She groaned and rolled her shoulders. Alessandra shed her light nightgown and showered quickly, splashing her face with warm water to further distance herself from the dream. She dried off and left the bathroom, shimmying into clean undergarments quickly as the cool air of her bedroom bit at her skin, giving her goosebumps. She chose an unadorned white top and a knee-length black skirt from her wardrobe, grateful she didn't have to deal with the layers and layers of fabric a nun's habit contained. She wasn't one for frills, anyway, and she would have preferred pants to the skirt, but business attire was business attire. She paused while reaching for the pair of thigh-high lace-up boots on her floor next to her bed, grinning to herself. They were hardly practical for just a day in the office. She chose a more practical pair of plain black pumps and returned to the bathroom to brush out her thick platinum hair. She tied it back with a ribbon and gave herself a once-over in the mirror.

 _Much, much better._ She looked a little less like she'd been dragged by a train now. Alessandra picked up her bag and headed out of her small apartment deep within the Vatican's residential sector. Not that she could complain about it too much, though. She was fortunate to have a dry, safe place to sleep, somewhere where she didn't have to be in the sun. As a matter of fact, Alessandra's apartment was at the end of a long hallway with no windows to let the sunlight in. The entire hall had been vacant for a while because most of the other occupants had found it to be too dark and depressing, but it suited Alessandra's needs just fine. She'd had her pick of the apartments on the hall, and truly hers was the most spacious of the ones offered her. With a little bounce in her step, Alessandra headed up to the area of the Vatican reserved for AX business. She tapped a small key card on a sensor pad next to the doorway and the door opened. From there, she had to pass through three security checkpoints before using her key card to open her office door. She dropped her bag on the floor next to her desk and sat down, looking over the looming pile of paperwork.

"Oh, Abel…" she sighed to herself. If only the dear bumbling priest didn't bumble quite so much, her stack would be much smaller. Alessandra heard a thud in the hallway, followed by an exasperated groan.

"Oh, you stupid thing, let me in!" _Speak of the devil and he shall appear._ Wasn't that how the saying went? Alessandra rose from her desk and opened the door.

"Having some trouble, Abel?" Just as she had predicted, Abel was crumpled on the floor in desperation in front of his office door, comically aggravated tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Alessa! No, no, no trouble here." Abel sprang to his feet and waved his hands dismissively, but his face told a different story. He smiled meekly. "I'm just fine, don't you worry!" Alessa smiled softly and shook her head.

"Key card not working again?" Abel's hands fell to his sides in defeat and he sighed an exaggerated sigh. He hung his head in defeat.

"No, it's not. Would you mind terribly letting me in my office?" Key cards were lost technologies from before the Armageddon, but someone had seen fit to learn how they worked and install key-card locks on all of the AX offices. Abel's card usually worked for the first door, but never seemed to want to work on his office door. "I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience, Alessa," Abel said as Alessa walked over and tapped her key card against the sensor pad for Abel's office door. The door unlocked with a soft click. "Perhaps I could treat you to lunch, to make it up to you?" Alessa laughed.

"Intent on spending your stipend already, _Father?_ " She annunciated his title to remind him of the vows that came with it, a sly smile on her face. It really was noble of him to offer, but considering she received at least three times what he did, it didn't really make much sense to have Abel spend his money on her. Abel's head drooped in what looked like defeat. Alessa gently nudged the office door so it wouldn't lock itself back.

"I'm sorry, Alessa. Perhaps there is another way I can make it up to you?"

"Don't worry about it, Abel. But lunch does sound pretty fantastic. Let me get through at least part of this paperwork and we'll go." Abel batted his eyes at her.

"But…you just said-"

"I had no intention of letting you pay, Abel. Your vow of poverty was noble, but it doesn't keep you fed." Alessa cut him off before he could finish. She patted his stomach lightly. It growled in response. Abel blushed and Alessa laughed. "We'll go to that delicatessen you like so much. The one with the cakes?" Embarrassment gone, Abel beamed, his eyes going wide as dinner plates. She knew just how to appease him.

"Th-th-thank you, Alessa!" He hugged her tightly and she giggled. He kissed her cheek before he realized that he'd let his joy get the better of him. He let go of Alessa rather abruptly. The color of his face could rival a fresh summer tomato. "S-sorry, that was…very improper of me…I'll see you for lunch!" Abel ducked into his office and let the door slam behind him. He just barely heard Alessa call out his name and laugh. Once he was sure she wasn't going to try to follow him into his office, he plopped down at the desk and let out a heavy sigh, burying his face in his hands. He breathed deeply and held it for a moment before breathing out another heavy sigh.

Even with his vow of chastity, Abel couldn't deny that the scrawny, dirty girl he had rescued from Venice all those years ago had grown and blossomed into an elegant and graceful young woman. Her dirt-caked brown hair turned out to be a brilliant platinum blonde once she had been given a proper bath, and her skin was the color of polished marble underneath the grime. She was tall and willowy, and womanly curves had developed appropriate to her age and stature once she began receiving proper nutrition. She wasn't overly busty and her hips weren't overly wide…her eyes, _oh her eyes_ , they were the most magnificent shade of emerald…Abel's face flushed, even with no one around to be privy to his musings. She was undoubtedly a beautiful woman, a far cry from the broken girl he'd saved.

Trying to distract himself from his own thoughts, Abel threw himself in to his work with an unsettling fervor. So many forms, so many reports…he hunched in front of the typewriter on his desk, fingers frantically working the keys, anything to push Alessa out of his mind. He wasn't sure he could face her for lunch. But, as the expense report he was working on finished and the growl of his stomach grew louder, Abel found it harder to resist the allure of lunch with one of his closest friends. _And there will be cakes._ He could face her after all, he decided, pulling the finished report out of the typewriter and setting it on the table. _One down, a million more to go._ Abel sighed and adjusted his glasses, putting another sheet of paper into the typewriter.

A sharp _rat tat tat_ on his office door made Abel jump.

"Abel, you ready for lunch?" Alessa called through the door. _Is it that late already?_ He glanced quietly at his watch. _Goodness, it is._ Abel's stomach burbled loudly at the mention of food, free food at that. Alessa was paid significantly more than he was, having not taken a vow of poverty. Well, having not taken any vows at all. She was an oddity; an AX agent that was not also a member of the clergy. He rose from the desk and opened the door. Alessa stood in the hallway, wearing a long, heavy black coat and a wide-brimmed hat. He smelled the faint scent of UV gel. "You better be ready to go because I could eat a horse." The look in her eyes said she might just eat a horse anyway. He chuckled lightly.

"I'm ready, I'm ready!" Abel followed Alessa down the hallway and out of the Vatican. He saw Alessa wince at the bright light of the midday sun and adjust the collar of her coat to cover her neck. She quickly thrust her hands in her pockets and kept her face down, the wide hat keeping the sun off her face and chest.

"If you'd kindly lead the way, Abel. I'm a little blind right now."

Sometimes Abel forgot Alessa was a vampire. True, her alabaster skin was a direct result, as was the coldness of her hands, but the warmth of her person made him forget the minor details. But now, slathered in UV gel and wrapped in light-blocking layers, it was quite obvious she wasn't exactly normal.

"Of course, Alessa." Abel walked the familiar route to his favorite delicatessen, Alessa trailing behind, following his footsteps for guidance. Once or twice Abel had to grab her by the coat before she slammed in to anyone. He mumbled quick apologies and kept walking. No use in being dramatic while Alessa was in such discomfort. They reached the delicatessen and Abel quietly requested a table as far from the large bay windows as possible. The sun was almost directly overhead, so very little sunlight would reach them in the back. The hostess seemed puzzled by his odd request. Usually her guests asked for tables close to the window looking out on the bright, sunlit plaza outside, or even a table outside along the restaurant's front. She cast a wary glance to the creature wrapped in a coat and led them to a small booth in the corner. "This is just perfect, thank you ever so much." Abel beamed at the hostess and her fears waned. She walked away smiling, humming to herself, even. Safely out of the sun's range, Alessa shed her coat and hat.

"Ugh. That thing is always brutally hot." She dropped the coat on the far side of the booth, putting her back to the wall. Abel plopped down opposite her, his back to the large windows. When the waiter came, Alessa ordered a salad. Abel found the largest sandwich on the menu and almost gagged at the price. Alessa ignored his protests and ordered it for him. Defeated, Abel slumped back in to his seat and stared into his cup of tea. Alessa swirled the ice in her water thoughtfully. Something was weighing heavily on her mind.

"Is something wrong?" Alessa perked up, pulled back to reality from whatever thought she had been entertaining.

"Hmm? Oh, no, nothing's wrong. I was just thinking." She rested her chin against her hand and swirled her glass again, her eyes downcast.

"What about?" Abel's curiosity beat out his sense of propriety, as it often did. When she didn't answer, he reached across the table and gently touched her elbow. "Alessa?" Her head snapped up, her large emerald eyes clearly startled. She had been very deep in thought. Abel watched the thought flee her mind.

"Yes?"

"You did it again. I thought I'd lost you in there." Alessa sighed softly and faked a small smile.

"I'm fine, Abel, really. I was just thinking about…" She trailed off and took a deep breath, hoping the waiter would deliver their food and distract Abel so she didn't have to explain herself. _No luck._ "…about the night I was kidnapped. It's been almost eleven years since you rescued me, and there haven't been any new leads." Abel's mood soured. Alessa was right, there hadn't been any new information on the vampires that had brutalized her and her siblings and stolen a large portion of her childhood since their initial investigation. The safehouse he and Tres had investigated was almost a total bust: there had only been a handful of vampires occupying the building, and no valuable intel. Once he discovered Alessa, Abel's rage ensured there had been no survivors to interrogate, which he falsely attributed to Father Tres in his report. In truth, his Crusnik nanomachines had acted seemingly of their own accord, and there had been nothing left of the few stragglers that tried to fight the winged monster carrying the battered vampire girl out of the compound. That left Alessa herself as their sole witness, and because the supposed safehouse had only been a holding place for her, she had known very little except the brutality she had experienced firsthand. All in all, they were not memories either the vampire or the priest cared to be reminded of. He gazed down at the table, sorry he had pursued the topic.

The arrival of their lunch gave an excuse to avoid the topic altogether, for which they were both grateful. Alessa asked for a glass of warm water to accompany her salad, confusing their waiter. He fetched it, though, and set it on the table next to her iced water. Abel quietly prayed to bless his meal as Alessa dug a small bottle out of her coat pocket. She opened the bottle and tipped it into her hand, letting a few small red capsules fall out. She kept one and returned the rest to their bottle. She dropped the one capsule into her water and listened to it sizzle and burst. The water around it bloomed a brilliant red, darkening the rest of the water as she thoughtfully swirled it around in the glass. The scent of synthetic blood was unmistakable this close. Alessa's eyes darted to Abel's, and when he took a comically large bite from his sandwich instead of reacting in horror at what he knew to be in her glass, she smiled faintly and drank deeply. Abel just barely caught the glint of one fang in her smile. The synthetic blood Alessa drank with her meals was formulated by Father Wordsworth, the AX's resident professor and self-dubbed mad scientist, from a fortified mixture based in powered cow's blood obtained from slaughterhouses. It was easier to get a hold of than Methuselah Life Water, and fewer questions were asked. The slaughterhouses had no use for the blood, and did not question when an unremarkable, unnamed individual offered large quantities of dinars to buy it in batches every month. Eventually, the slaughterhouse workers began collecting it outright for their unnamed buyer, who just so happened to be a representative of the Vatican in plain clothes. Alessa preferred not to have the blood at all, but there was no denying that it was a vital part of her diet. Finishing off the glass, Alessa dabbed at her mouth with a napkin before tucking in to her salad. She still preferred the human food she had grown up with before she'd been turned, and had never really stopped enjoying the taste.

They ate in a comfortable silence that was only broken by the unfortunate waiter's mention of freshly-baked chocolate cake for dessert. Abel's eyes watered and his stomach growled anew, not for lack of food, but for lack of sweets. Despite Abel's numerous (and comically loud) protests, Alessa ordered two slices, and secretly scribbled out an order for an entire cake for Abel to take back to the Vatican with him on a small scrap of paper. She slid the paper to the waiter as he delivered their dessert. By the time Alessa had taken two bites, Abel's slice was gone, and the poor priest was slumped back in his seat, a look of sheer ecstasy writ large on his face, his hands on his very full belly. Alessa couldn't help but laugh. The conversation as Alessa finished her slice of cake was comfortable and friendly, the earlier disease of her thoughts pushed to the side. When the waiter delivered their check (and the whole cake Alessa had ordered for Abel,) Abel loudly protested the cost. Alessa merely shrugged and paid the bill, giving the poor waiter a generous tip for having had to put up with the priest. Her lunches usually weren't as extravagant, especially if her friend was out on assignment. A little splurging did the wallet good, she assured him, sliding back in to the heavy coat and hat. They left the diner arm in arm, Abel cradling his beloved chocolate cake.


	3. Assignment

_A/N: Two chapters in one day. I haven't done that since high school._

* * *

When they returned to the Vatican, a nun was waiting just outside Alessa's office. She looked nervous.

"Ms. di Ambrosio, Father Nightroad. Cardinal Sforza has requested to see you in her offices. Immediately." Alessa and Abel exchanged a glance, concern playing on their faces. A summons from Lady Caterina was hardly anything of note; it was the tremor in the little nun's voice that caught them off guard.

The nun allowed Abel time to put his cake in his office. Alessa shrugged out of her heavy coat and tossed it and her hat unceremoniously on the floor of her own office. The nun quietly escorted them to the cardinal's offices a few floors above. She held the door open for Abel and Alessa before scurrying in ahead of them.

"Ms. di Ambrosio and Father Nightroad to see you, Your Eminence."

"Thank you, Sister Maria. Please leave us." The nun bowed slightly to the beautiful blonde cardinal seated at the large oak desk that took up a large portion of the back wall. She turned and hurried out. Cardinal Caterina Sforza turned her attention to her top agent and the young vampire girl. "Abel, Alessandra. I'm sure you're aware of why I called you here," she began, beckoning them closer. On her desk were several open files. Photographs were attached to papers within.

"Actually, no, Lady Caterina. I'm sure it's another assignment, but has something happened?" Abel asked, picking up one of the files and shuffling through the papers. The head of the AX did not answer him right away. She was watching Alessa. Alessa picked up the other file and looked at the top photograph. Her mind went blank, and fear was writ large on her face. _No. No, it can't be…_ she could hardly believe what she was seeing. Here, in her hands…she flipped to the next group of papers in the file and looked at the picture. She flipped through the others, recognizing face after face after face. They were…

"These are the vampires that kidnapped me," she said, with very little hesitation. Abel's eyes widened in horror. He hadn't recognized a single face. Alessa shouldn't be present for this…what was Lady Caterina thinking?

"I wasn't sure how you would handle the information, Alessa, but I knew withholding it from you would be the wrong course of action. I've withheld enough from you already. We've held on to these files from the first mission Father Nightroad and Father Iquis completed regarding your rescue. At the time we weren't aware that our investigation and the investigation into your siblings' murders and your kidnapping were connected. It seems new information has surfaced about your kidnappers."

Alessa's hands shook. She dropped the file back on the cardinal's desk and sank into a chair Abel had thoughtfully grabbed when he saw his friend's face go blank. _We were just talking about this over lunch…speak of the devil…_ Had she had any color, it would have drained from her face. Alessa felt like vomiting.

"I can understand if you don't want to hear any more, Alessa." Cardinal Caterina rang a small bell on her desk. A few moments later, a nun entered carrying a tray containing a teapot, three cups, and the accompaniments for the cardinal's afternoon tea. Abel couldn't even find excitement for the scones and jam. Instead, he prepared a cup of tea for Alessa and handed it to her. The cup and saucer visibly shook in her hands, tea threatening to fall on her skirt and on the plush burgundy rug beneath her feet. She had remained silent for several moments before hastily downing the offered tea, setting the cup on Caterina's desk. Abel poured her another before pouring one for himself and their boss.

"I want to hear. Please, Your Eminence, continue." The fear in Alessa's voice betrayed the turmoil beneath her placid demeanor. Abel's head turned sharply towards Alessa.

"Alessa-"

"Please, Abel." Alessa cut him off. "Lady Caterina?" She returned her attention to

"We were able to track the movements of the leader of the group responsible for your kidnapping, starting some time last year." Alessa gasped, clearly outraged at not having been told. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, Alessa. We had to be certain it was a credible lead. But our sources indicate that this is the same person responsible for your siblings' murders." Caterina handed a file to Abel. The picture on top was of a relatively young male vampire with sharp features and dark hair. "His name is Fredrich von Karsten, Duke of Nuremburg. We've been tracking his movements for some months now, but it's been difficult. Ever since the compound in Venice was raided, he's kept a relatively low profile, for both a vampire _and_ a duke. However, our sources have witnessed him meeting with members of Rosenkreutz. No one high ranking, it appears they're smarter than that. Karsten wants the deniability." Caterina picked up the cup of tea Abel had poured for her and sipped it thoughtfully. "The decision to tell you was not taken lightly, I assure you." Caterina paused, looking at both of her agents over the rim of her cup. "We're launching a new investigation to bring Karsten and his associates to justice." Alessa's head snapped up, and Abel openly gaped. "Against my better judgment, and against the advice of every single person I've consulted, I'm offering you this assignment. I will understand if you want nothing to do with it, Alessa."

The urge to vomit tripled, and even Abel looked shaken. Memories she didn't know she'd had tumbled through her mind like water over a stone. Her attempt to stay resolute was failing. She doubled over, shaking violently.

"Alessa!" Abel rushed to her side, holding her, barely able to contain his anger at his superior. Caterina should never have even given Alessa the option. It was surely ludicrous, or at the very least, suicidal, to send Alessa after her own kidnappers.

"Is she alright, Abel?" Caterina had risen from her chair when Alessa doubled over, concern obvious in her eyes, and perhaps…regret? Whatever it was, Abel failed to notice. He was almost shaking with rage. He lashed out at his superior, the words coming unbidden from a place deep in his soul. A place that held tight to the promise he'd made over a decade ago.

"I'd hardly say she's alright! Look at her! _This isn't fair,_ blindsiding her like this! Of _course_ she wants to be involved in apprehending those responsible for murdering her brother and sisters! She was just a child, and her entire family was taken from her! What sane person _wouldn't_ want to be involved? Do you even _know_ what she was subjected to? This is insane!" Abel didn't notice that he had raised his voice to a near shout, gaining fervor as he continued. Alessa and Caterina stared at him, mouths gaping, eyes wide. Alessa's face burned red, knowing her friend was very likely putting his career in jeopardy at her expense. She had seen the kind of exchanges that passed for acceptable between the Cardinal and the priest; this hardly counted as one of them.

"Abel, be reasonable…" Caterina tried to placate the enraged priest. He wouldn't let her finish.

" _Be reasonable?!_ I am being reasonable! This is absolutely out of the question! Total madness!" He would have continued, had Alessa not found her own voice.

"Abel!" She shouted, standing. She grabbed the front of his vestments and shook him, pulling him back from his rampage. Almost by instinct, Abel's hands came to grip Alessa's forearms almost painfully tight. "I'm fine." Alessa's voice was strained. "I want the assignment, Lady Caterina." Abel's eyes widened in shock, and he gaped at his friend.

"Alessa, are you certain about this?" His voice had softened considerably, but it still carried the tone that told her he thought this was utter madness. To his utter shock, Alessa nodded.

"He's responsible for everything that happened to me. My brother, my sisters…he may not have swung the sword, if you forgive the archaic metaphor, but he gave the order. You said it yourself, what sane person _wouldn't_ want to be involved? I deserve answers for his crimes, against them and against me. My family deserves _justice_ for what he's done _._ " Alessa looked up at the priest that was still holding her. "Please. Both of you. Let me be the one to bring Karsten to justice." There was such conviction in her emerald eyes. _This is madness_. _I can't let her do this alone._ Abel sighed deeply, releasing Alessa's arms. His fingers had left wrinkles in her long-sleeved blouse, and had undoubtedly bruised the flesh beneath.

"I'm going with her, Lady Caterina," Abel said, not taking his gaze from Alessa's. The cardinal had returned to her seat. She quietly considered the two agents before her. Abel cared deeply for Alessa, that much was true, and she hadn't intended to send the girl off on her own. She closed her eyes. She really didn't have a choice. If she didn't permit Abel to accompany Alessa, he'd find a way to follow her, anyway, on his own dinar, no less. She opened her eyes, threading her fingers together.

"Very well. Our sources last reported seeing Karsten in Luxembourg. You'll be following that lead."

"When do we leave?" Alessa turned her focus to Caterina, who chuckled slightly.

"We have planned your departure for tomorrow morning. I'm sure you both can appreciate the reason for our haste."

"Yes, Lady Caterina," answered Alessa. The cardinal smiled a small smile.

"Of course, the Vatican will pay for your transportation and your accommodations, and you'll receive a per diem." Caterina looked up at Abel. "If you can keep from using it all on sweets, it should last you your entire trip." Abel nodded lightly. Now was not the time for jests at his expense, in his opinion, but he caught Alessa's giggle and eased.

"I'll have someone deliver the train tickets and the per diem to your office, Alessa."

"Thank you, Lady Caterina." Alessa rose. "Is that all?" When the cardinal nodded, Alessa turned and headed out of the office. She felt numb and lightheaded, and didn't register when Abel called her name and hurried out after her.

"Alessa! Alessa? Alessa!" Abel called after her, but she didn't respond. It seemed as if she was in a trance. "Alessandra!" Abel ran after her, grabbing her arm. He forcefully pulled her around to face him, perhaps too forcefully, as Alessa stumbled forward into him. She clutched his robes, at first to balance herself, and then the find some form of shelter, of security. She buried her face in his chest and let out a strangled sob she didn't know she'd been holding in. The tears came, unbidden, and she found herself unable to stop crying as she sank to the floor. Abel held on to her, sinking with her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her while she cried.

"Alessa…are you certain you want to go through with this?" She looked up at him, blinking through her tears. She looked so much like that child he'd found almost eleven years ago…Abel's blood boiled. "Caterina should never have offered you this assignment; it's insanity in its purest form. I can tell her you're ill."

"No, Abel. I have to go." Alessa rubbed her eyes with her fists. They must have looked a sight, a priest and a vampire girl, huddled on the floor in one of the Vatican's highest-security halls. She grasped the wall and slowly pulled herself to her feet. "I need to see this through. But you know how emotions can make fools of us all." She smirked, referring to his earlier outburst, and held her hand out for Abel. He looked at it, then at her. He knew deep in his heart that he understood her motives. He took Alessa's hand, both in acceptance of her help, and in acceptance of her reasons. Alessa pulled him to his feet. Sometimes, her vampiric strength still surprised him. "I can handle this." Alessa turned from him and began walking down the hall, back toward their offices. She paused and glanced over her shoulder at him. She winked at him with a smirk. Abel was dumbfounded.

"Well…well, I'm still coming with you!" He ran down the hall after her.

"Oh, Abel…I wouldn't have it any other way!" Alessa laughed and broke in to a run, silently challenging Abel to a race. He laughed and ran after her. Grinning impishly, Alessa dropped into her vampiric haste mode, where the overstimulation of her nervous system caused her to move at a speed incomprehensible to normal humans. Though he was far from normal, Abel couldn't keep up with her, no matter how hard he tried, and he stopped running long enough to catch his breath. "No fair! That's cheating, Alessa!" Alessa paused long enough to stick her tongue out at him before charging off again, disappearing in a blink around a corner. Abel laughed through his pants. She was still such a child…


End file.
